For Sikhs, a day of sorrow and hope for peace

The routine announcements on the temple's bulletin board of summer camp, a food pantry and community events belied the sorrow that visitors said they felt a day after a gunman killed six people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin,

"We don't hate anyone," said Surinder Singh of Costa Mesa, assistant manager at a convenience store, who said that Sikhs, because of their turbans, are sometimes mistakenly assumed to be Muslims. He spoke of his community's love of peace. "We love America. Our children will stay here, and they love America. "

Rani Cheema of Huntington Beach came with her father for a few minutes of late-morning prayer. She stops in about five days a week, she said.

She was with a group of Sikh women and college students Sunday when news of the attack in Wisconsin spread.

"We all said it should not have happened," she said, "whether white, black or Muslim – because we're all humans. ... It's really hurtful. We are in America, and for someone to do this – this is our home. It's really awful. It's so sad."

People of other faiths stopped by to express their sorrow. A couple of police cruisers were nearby.

"I just wanted to let them know from a neighborhood how sorry I am about what happened in Wisconsin," said Tom Williams, who lives near the temple and said he's Christian. "People in the world sometimes do bad things."

Andy Wang, a physician who lives in Irvine, brought a sympathy card. He's Muslim and part of a Chinese Muslim family. He called the attack shameful.

"I wanted to speak with someone here to express my sympathy for what's happened, to express my outrage and to express my support for their community," he said.

"I wanted to let them know that I'm ashamed of what happened on 9/11," he said. "But I'm also ashamed if Sikhs have been targets of discrimination because they've been mistaken for being Muslims."

A special prayer service will be held from 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple of USA, at 7122 Orangethorpe Ave. in Buena Park.

"We are worried about the Sikhs who were wounded over there," said Iqbal Sing, a priest at the temple. "We are in sympathy for the people who became victims and who were killed."

He said as many as 400 attend prayers Wednesdays, and 600 to 800 on Sundays.

Noting the contributions of Sikhs in medicine, business and agriculture in this country, he said his congregation has concerns about security and the sale of weapons.

"We respect all religions," he said. "We welcome everyone. We always do a prayer for peace of everyone, for the peace and welfare of everyone."